Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Marshall Thundering Herd
· NCAA - FootballZappe leads WKU past Marshall for C-USA East Division crown
In a game between the top two teams in the East, the Hilltoppers (8-4, 7-1) ran off 36 unanswered points to earn the right to face 15th-ranked UTSA in the conference championship game on Dec. 3 in San Antonio.
Western Kentucky managed just two field goals by Brayden Narveson and trailed 14-6 at halftime. Zappe came out firing in the third quarter. He hooked up with Daewood Davis for a 47-yard TD just 1:19 into the third quarter. Zappe followed that with a 14-yard TD toss to Malachi Corley before firing a 50-yard scoring strike to Davis midway through the quarter. Narveson added a 53-yard field goal and WKU led 29-14 heading to the fourth. Zappe's final TD toss was an 8-yarder to Dalvin Smith 52 seconds in. Davion Williams capped the scoring for the Hilltoppers with a 45-yard pick-6 in the final minute.
Zappe completed 25 of 48 passes for 328 yards with no interceptions for WKU.
Luke Zban was 16-of-25 passing for 123 yards and a TD for the Thundering Herd (7-5, 5-3). Rasheen Ali carried 24 times for 97 yards.
Marshall quarterback Grant Wells completed his first 10 passes but left the game after getting sacked and fumbling the ball away in the second quarter. He walked to the locker room with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
----
How To Watch
How can I watch Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd?
- TV Channel: Hilltoppers at Thundering Herd 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on CBSSN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
![]() |
TD | 1st Period 7:01 | Grant Wells 1 Yd Run (Shane Ciucci Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 14:22 | Devin Miller 3 Yd pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 8:05 | Brayden Narveson 41 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 2:48 | Brayden Narveson 46 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 13:41 | Daewood Davis 47 Yd pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 9:10 | Malachi Corley 14 Yd pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 7:28 | Daewood Davis 50 Yd pass from Bailey Zappe (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
![]() |
FG | 3rd Period 3:25 | Brayden Narveson 53 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 14:18 | Dalvin Smith 8 Yd pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 12:23 | Shadeed Ahmed 41 Yd pass from Luke Zban (Shane Ciucci Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 12:16 | A.J. Brathwaite Jr. 43 Yd Kickoff Return (Brayden Narveson Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 1:12 | Brayden Narveson 39 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 0:53 | Davion Williams 45 Yd Interception Return (Brayden Narveson Kick) |
Statistics
WKU |
MRSH |
|
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1st Downs | 20 |
| 8-19 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-14 |
| 2-3 | 4th down efficiency | 2-4 |
| 485 | Total Yards | 325 |
| 328 | Passing | 199 |
| 25/48 | Comp/Att | 26/39 |
| 6.8 | Yards per pass | 5.1 |
| 157 | Rushing | 126 |
| 34 | Rushing Attempts | 40 |
| 4.6 | Yards per rush | 3.2 |
| 5-45 | Penalties | 5-30 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 30:34 | Possession | 29:26 |
Game Information
Location: Huntington, WV
Attendance: 19,134 · Capacity:
College Football News
Will Stein reveals plans and excitement for Kentucky next season
Stein discusses the plans and ideas he is looking to implement next year and describes how excited he is to work on turning the Wildcats' football program around.
2026 College football recruiting early signing day takeaways
The 2026 recruiting cycle is almost finished. Here's how this class will impact college football next season.
2026 college football recruiting class rankings: Top 75 schools
With national signing day wrapped up, we rank the top 75 classes for 2026.
Sources: No timeline for Lamar Brown to make call on LSU signing
After five-star defensive tackle Lamar Brown delayed his signing with LSU, sources told ESPN that a timeline for a decision from the nation's No. 1 overall prospect remains up in the air.
Tim Skipper joins Cal Poly after leading UCLA for 9 games
Tim Skipper, the veteran assistant who served as UCLA's interim football coach for the final nine games of the current season, has been hired as the new head coach at Cal Poly.




WKU
MRSH